Improvement in liquid-meters



W. E. vSNEDIIIKER. ZSheets-Sheetl.:A

Liquid Meter.y No. 108,842. Patented Nov. 1. 1870.

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'Sh -sh W E. SNEDIKERl 2 Bets eet2 Y Liquid Meter. No. 108,842. PatentedNov. ll. 1870.

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entre eine Letters Patent No. 108,842, dated November 1, 1870; antedatedOctober 29, 1870.

MF- IMPOVEMENT INI LIQUID-METERS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. SNEDIKnn, ofthe city, county, and State of New York, have invented anew and usefulImprovement in Liquid-Meters, of which the following is a full, clear,and enact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawingforming a part of this specioaticn, andin which- Figure l represents avertical longitudinal lsection of a meter constructed in accordance withmv im- In'ovement u l Figure 2, a plan of the same, with ,the lid orcover removed; v

Figure 3, a transverse section, taken as indicated by the line a' .tiniig. 2;

vFigure 4, a horizontal section, taken as denoted by the line y y inligs.- l and 3, with the piston and main valve removed;

l Figure 5, a transverse section through the line z z in figs. 2 and 4;

Figure 6, a plan of the lid or cover of the: meter, detached;

Figure 7, a vertical view of the hub of diaphragm or piston; and

. Figure 8, an inverted plan or bottom-end view of' the same. v

Similar let-ters of reference indicate corresponding the lover,

parts.

The meter, which is the subject of this invention,l while. applicable tomeasuring various liquids or fluids, it will sullice here to describe asused for the measuring of water. The same is ot' a pendulum form ofconstruction,and includes a reciprocating lever-diaphragm or piston,arranged to work within a measuring-chamber, of arched or sector-likeform, and provided with a hub that has connected with it al pivot-pin,which constitutes the turning-axis or center of thelever-piston.

The principle feature of -the improvement consists in a combination,withthis reciprocating diaphragm or llever-piston, ot' acontrolling-valve to the main valve,

said controlling-valve being operated by the piston, and serving toestablish a rush of thewater or operating liquid on the main-valve, tothrow the latter', which inain valve controls ingress and egress lofsaid liquid, to and from `the measuring-chamber. These valves inay be ofany suitable form, straight or curved,l and be variously arranged; butit is preferred to construct the valve, which controls the main valve intheY hub of thc lever-piston, by making said hub of af valvularcharacter; vand The invention includes a divided construction of saidhub, whereby thc valvular portion of itis allowed to remain stationaryfor a portion of the stroke of the lever-piston, so tha-tj the passageswhich control the flow of the water in throwing the main valve are keptopen the requisite length of time to securea perfectaction alike of themain valve and lever-piston.

Also, the invention embraces an arrangement of passages for establishingescape ot' water remaining in the valve-box toward the completion of themain valves stroke, after said valve has closed the port which providesfor escape ot the main body of water used in throwing such valve.

Likewise, the invention includes a specific and ad- 'antageouscombination or arrangement of passages in a meter, constructed tooperate as described.

In the actompanyiug drawing- A represents the reciprocatinglever-diaphragm or piston ofthe meter, the same being arranged to workwithin a measuring-chamber, B, of arched or sector'- Iike form.

This diaphragm is provided with a hub, C C', through l which is apivot-pin, a, that constitutes the working axis or center of 'saiddiaphragm or lever-piston, and

which is here shown as occupying a .vertical position, but which'may behorizontal, and the lever-piston have an action or stroke similar tothat of a pendulum. This hub (l C is formed hollow, but generallyclosed-at its ends, the lower one of which rests on and travels over thelower face of the chamber B. Itis preferably made in two, or upper andlower sections, U C", the lower one C', being fast to the pivot a, and

only being moved toward the completion of the stroke of thelever-piston, vthrough an arched projection, b, on'the base of the uppersection C, (which is loose-on the pivot, but fast to thelever-diapln'agm,) coming in contact with either end, alternately, of acurved slot, Y

c, in the top plate-.or face ot the lower section O ot' the hub, saidcurved slot c being longer than the arched projection b, so that thelever-piston, with its hub-section (l, will perform a certain amount ofreciprocating stroke in either direction beforeA shifting the lowerhub-.section G', The object of thus dividing the hub, and making the onesection, C, act as an intermittent driver to the other section, C', thathas a valvular action, as hereinafter explained, will be made clear indue course of the general description. f

The motion of the'lever-piston A, that receives and discharges waterfrom opposite sides of it alternately,

,is controlled by a valve, D, which isvpreferably of cnrvilinear form,vibrating on a lower horizontal center, d, within a valve-box ourense,E, against both inner sides'orfaces of which said valve movesin contact,to control ports or passages therein.

Two of these ports, e e', in. the front surface, against which thevalveworks, are main inlets to the measuringchamberB, on opposite sides ofthe piston and other two 'ports ff', in the'same planeo1'.surface,`outlets therefrom, there being corresponding inlet andoutlet-ports,

g g' and lt la', in the back or opposite surface; againstA which thevalve works, which latter ports, y g and h h', are iu communication,respectively, with an inlet wateuchamber, F, and outlet-water chamber G.

'lhe valve D has lnaiu inlet-passages, it', and a main outlet-passage oreavitym', through it, which passages are brought, successively, by thetip or play of the valve, in line respectively with the xed inlet andoutlet-ports, e e', ff', q g',^a11d h h', to pass water to and fromopposite sides of the piston inv the measuring-chamber B.

The' inlet water-chamber 11 is supplied with water by a pipe, F, and hasan opening, lo, inv it, establishin g communication with/the lowerchamber or passage, F", arranged to extend beneath the measuring-cham-`ber, immediately below the huh-piston, while the outlet-chamber G has anopening, k', in it, establishing communication with an upperoutlet-passage, Gr', made in a raised portion of the lid, B' of themeasuringchamber, and arranged to run along either side of a space orchamber, H, in which the indicating or registering mechanism, operatedby,` the pivot-pin a, may be placed. v

The front surface, against which thchva'lve D works, has also arrangedin it, below the inlets c e', ports or passa-ges, Z7', which run orproject into the ,sides ot' the recess in which the hub of the pistonwol-lis, and are of vertical elongated form at their openings into saidrecess. y y

'lhelowersection C of the hub plays over these passages, and, by meansof vertical passages, m m', opening through the bottom of the hub,alternately establishes communication, through an arched port orports, an', in the baseof the measuring-chamber, between either one of suchpassages l l', and the inlet waterchamber 0r passage F2, `andexhaust-port o, thatis in i'rcc connection with' the hollow uppersection C of the hub, being brought over or opposite either passage,

or l', when either passage, 'in or an', is in communication with theother of the passages Z'Z.

In this way, accordingly as the hub-section C/is vibrated in oppositedirections, is a rush of inlet-water induced through either of thepassages l1', to com- `plete the thro\ \y of the valve D, after thelatter has been started by either end ot' an exhaust-port, p, inthcnpper section C of the hub acting, during the working of suchhub-section, on a pin, q, arranged to project from the face of thevalve.

The exhaust-port 1) also serves, in connection with ports 1)11, in thevalve-chest, and the exhaust-passage j through thcvalve, to carry oli`the water used inthethrowofthe valve when the exhaust-porto ot' the 4hubis in snitabe connection with either passage, l or l', for such purpose.

As represented in the drawing, thcfralve l) has been tipped, or, rather,the completion of its throw effected, by water entering through thepassage l',the main body of water previously used in the throw of thevalveixr the reverse direction having been discharged through thepassage l, and up through the y hub and ports and passages p p' p', andvalve exhaustcavity or passage j, into the outlet-chamber G.

By the valvular portion or section 0 of the hub only having auintermittentmovement toward the t completion of` the lever-pistonsstroke, through gear ot' the hub-sections C C', as hereinbeforedescribed, the inlet-passages m m and exhaust-port o in the hubsectionC' are caused to remain' a sufficient length `of time in communicationwitlneither passageV l Z' and port or ports an, to secure the full throwof the valve, and, by the controlling action of the latter over the maininlets c c 'and main outlets j f' of the measuring-chamber, to securethe complete stroke of the lever-pistou under all pressures of theincoming wat-er.

To perfect the action, herein described, of the main valve D, which isonly started in its throw bypositive connection with, or action on it,of the lever-piston, and has its throw completed by a rush of inletwater, it is desirable or necessary to make some provision for gettingrid of water that cannot escape through either of the passages, l or l',open to the exhaust, by reasonl of said valve, toward the completion ot'its throw, covering such passage.

passage j made to open through .the top as well. as through the sidesot' the valve, and said valve made to work on its periphery in contactvwith abutments 'a u', in such manner that, as the valve approaches theage j is exposed beyondv either abutment, n. or a', alternately, forescape to the exhaust, of remaining water used to effect the previousthrow of thevalve.

'lhcstarting of the main valve by a positive motion derived from thepiston, may,'il1 some cases, be dispensed with, and the whole throw ot'the same be effected by the operating liquid through the 'agency of asuitable secondary or additional valve operated bythe lc\'erpiston, thehub-section C', in the construction and arrangement of partsrepresentedin the drawing, constituting one form of 'suoli secondary orc ontrollin gvalve to the maiirval-ve.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-fy '1; rlhe combination, with a reciprocating lever-dia'- phragm orpistou, and inensuring-chamber in which it works, of a main valve tosaid chamber, and secondary or additional valve, operated by theleverpiston, and serving to effect the throw of the main as herein setforth. v

2. ihe hub of the lever-diaphragm, constructed ot' independent sections,C G', the one of which, C', is made to operate as a valve, aud-has anintermittent motion counnunicated to it by the other section, C,essentially as and-for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The valve D, provided with an exhaust-passage or opening in itsperiphery, in combination with the speci-fied.`

4. The arrangement, relatively to the valve D,Vot' the and o, theinlet-porter ports n. n, and exhaust-port or ports from the hub to themain outlet, essentially as described. y

' W. E. SN EDIKER. Witnesses:

FRED. Haynes,

HENRY lALMnn.

'lo this'end the valve l) has its exhaust-cavity 01" end oi' its throwin either direction', the exhaust-pass? valve by or through theoperating liquid, essentially abut-ments u. u', substantially as and forthe purposeports or passages l l', the hub-ports or passages m, fm',

